Plagiarism Policy

Gul-o-Berg Research Journal (English) adheres to the plagiarism guidelines issued by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan. These policies—available on the HEC website—outline procedures for handling academic misconduct.

https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/policies/Pages/Plagiarism.aspx 

Plagiarism—defined as using another person’s ideas, words, or work without proper acknowledgment, including the reuse of one’s own previously published work without citation—is treated as a serious academic violation for students, teachers, researchers, and staff. The journal strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism and upholds the highest standards of academic integrity.

Complaints regarding suspected plagiarism must be submitted in writing to the editorial office. Each case will be investigated by a designated committee, which will review the evidence, hear relevant parties, and determine the severity of the offence. Penalties vary according to the seriousness of the violation: students may face warnings, grade deductions, or expulsion; faculty and staff may face suspension of research privileges, dismissal, or blacklisting from future submissions. Institutions are responsible for educating their members about these rules, and false accusations of plagiarism are themselves subject to disciplinary action.

The Gul-o-Berg Research Journal (English) strictly adheres to this policy and does not tolerate any form of plagiarism. All submissions are checked using HEC-recommended plagiarism detection software as well as manual review by the editorial team. Authors are required to revise or properly cite sources if any similarity is detected. The allowable similarity index is a maximum of 15%; manuscripts exceeding 16% similarity must be revised, otherwise they will be rejected outright. Authors must also formally declare that their work is original and not under consideration elsewhere by completing the undertaking form available on the journal’s website.

 

Scope

We accept manuscripts in the following areas:

  • English Language, Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics
  • Literary Studies (classical, modern, postcolonial, comparative)
  • Cultural Studies and Critical Theory
  • Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Language Education
  • Digital Humanities and AI in Language & Literature
  • Interdisciplinary approaches linking literature with philosophy, history, sociology, or media studies
  • Translation Studies and Comparative Literature
  • Gender Studies, Queer Theory, and Feminist Literary Criticism
  • Rhetoric, Discourse Analysis, and Communication Studies